Adjustable golf club



July 7, 1953 H. R. PUTNAM 2,644,689

ADJUSTABLE GOLF CLUB Filed Feb. 6. 1950 INVENTORS.

H. R. PUTNAM AIIORNEY Patented July 7, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,644,689 ADJUSTABLE cor-.r once Harold Russell Putnam, Iowa City, Iowa Application February 6, 1950, Serial No. 142,555 4 Claims. (01. 273- 79) The object of the present invention is to pro vide an adjustable golf club so constructed that the shaft may be disposed at various angles to the club head, within a relatively wide range of adjustment, whereby the club may readily be adjusted to suit the stance of any golf player, whether he be tall or short, and, additionally, may, with equal facility, be adjusted for either right hand or left hand player's. A further and important feature of this invention is the provision of an adjustable golf club in which the relatively adjustable parts are strong and sturdy and, when fixed in a desired position of adjustment, are firmly and rigidly held in place. My invention further resides in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and, while I have shown therein what is now regarded as the preferred embodiment of this invention, I desire the same to be understood as illustrative only and not to be interpreted in a limiting sense.

In the drawings annexed hereto and forming a part hereof, I

Fig. 1 is a side view of a putter in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated, the upper portion of the shaft being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a top View of the club shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig, 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 1

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the nut member at the lower end of the club shaft.

It will be understood that the terms upper and lower, in the specification and claims of this application, refer to the usual position of a golf club, with the head on the ground, or other support, and the handle or shaft extending up wardly therefrom.

Reference will now be made in greater detail to the annexed drawings for a more complete description of this invention. This golf club includes a shaft l and a head 2. The latter comprises a main body portion 3 of rectangular proportions and constructed of metal so as to have the proper weight. The upper portion of the head 2 is formed as an arch 4 extending along the upper side of the body portion of the head with the ends of the arch connected integrally with the ends of the body portion. The arch 4 is slotted, as at 5, for substantially its entire length, thereby forming a pair of laterally spaced-apart arcuate sections 6 and 1, the upper and 1ower faces of which are concentric and lying in concentric cylindrical surfaces.

The shaft l is formed at its lower end with a threaded shank portion l I and, above the latter, is a collar l2 which is fixed to the shaft many suit: able manner. An abutment member 14 isdisposed against the collar I2 and includes a sleeve portion l5 which is disposed loosely about the us per part of the threaded shank I l and an arcuate section I6, the curvature of which corresponds to the curvature of the arcuate sections E and 1 of the arch 4 of the head. As best shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, the width of the arcuate section It is substantially the same as the width of the arch portion 4, the length of the section 16 being sufficient to provide a rigid connection or support for the shaft l. Between the side edges of the arcuate section It there is a lug or rib I8 which fits snugly between the two arcuate sections 6 and 1, as best shown in Fig. 5. The mg or rib l8 holds the abutment member I}! in proper align= ment with the arcuate section 4 of the head 2.

The lower portion of the threaded shank ll "of the shaft I extends downwardly through the slot 5 in the arcuate head section 4 and is threaded into a nut member 20. The nut 20 includes a ey lindrical body portion 2! and '9, lug or rib 2'2 dimensioned to enter the slot 5. best shown in Fig. 6, the threaded portion 23 of the nut member 28 divides the lug or rib 22 into two parts which, as shown in Fig. 3, are adapted to enter the slot on opposite sides of the threaded shank I I', thereby preventing the nut member from turning when the shaft is rotated. i

In operation, the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 3, which shows the shaft l extending at an angle with respect to the club head 2. .By holding the head with one hand, the shaft I may be grasped and turned so as to draw the nut 20 tightly against the arcuate sections 6 and 1, at their lower or inside faces, whilethe collar I 2 bears against the abutment member I 4 and, in

turn, causes the latter to bear tightly against the upper faces of the arcuate sections 6 and 1. The angle between the shaft and head may be changed whenever desired, merely by loosening the shaft and then shifting the nut and abutment members along the arcuate sections 6 and 1 into the desired position. To change the club from a right hand club to a left hand club, or vice versa, all that is necessary to do is to shift the shaft and nut and abutment members to the other end of the head. The arcuate section IE or the abutment member l5 provides a wide bearing, with relatively large area of contact, against the arch 4, so that, when the nut member 20 is tightened, the shaft l is rigidly and firmly connected to the head 2.

It is of course understood that the specific description of structure set forth above may be departed from without departing from the spirit of this invention as disclosed herein and as defined in the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A golf club having a head and a handle, said head having opposite end portions, securing means for attaching said handle to the head, comprising an arch having ends and secured at its ends to the end portions of the head, said arch comprising a pair of spaced members with which a nut cooperates, said nut having a pair of lugs which slide between the arched members and which prevent the nut from turning.

2. A golf club comprising a head having end portions, an arcuate section rising from the end portions of the head and slotted medially substantially from end to end, said section being arcuateabout an axis below the head, a shaft having a threaded section at its lower end and a collar fixed to the shaft above said threaded section, an abutment member having a sleeve portion rotatably receiving the lower end of said shaft and passing over the threaded section into engagement with said collar, said abutment member having an arcuate lower face shaped complementarily with respect to the outer side of the arcuate section of said head and dimensioned to extend longitudinally of said arcuate section a substantial distance, and a nut member at the lower side of said arcuate section receiving the inner end'of the threaded section of said shaft, turning of which serves to tighten the abutment member against the upper side of the arcuate section of said head and the nut member against the lower face thereof, said nut member, abutment member, and shaft being shiftable bodily along said arcuate section about said axis when the nut member is loosened and above said head.

3. A golf clubcomprising a shaft having a shank threaded at its lower end, an abutment member receiving the lower end of said shaft for rotation relative thereto about the longitudinal axis of said shaft, an elongated head having ends, an arcuate section extending along but spaced from the upper side of said head and fixed at its ends to the ends of said head, said arcuate section being. slotted longitudinally of the head to receive the threaded shank, the latter extending through the slot toward said head when the arcuate abutment member lies against the outer face of said arcuate section, and a nut member ,on the inside of said arcuate section, between '4 and draw the arcuate abutment member against the outer side of said arcuate section, said abutment having a portion extending into the slot to prevent the abutment member from turning when the shaft is turned, said abutment member and nut member beingslidable along the upper and lower faces of the slotted portion of said arcuate section when the nut member is loosened to provide for adjusting the angle of the head relative to the shaft.

4. A golf club having a shaft and a head, the latter comprising an elongated approximately rectangular body member having ends and a strap-like arch section extending along the upper face of said head member and having its ends fixed to the respective ends of said elongated body member, the arch section being slotted for substantially its entire length, the axis of curvature of the arch section lying below the lower face of said head member and extending transversely of the latter, the lower end of said shaft being threaded and extending through the slot in said arch section but terminating short of contact with the upper face of said head memher, an upper abutment member having a curved substantially smooth lower face slidably engageable substantially fiat against the upper face of said arch section and an upwardly extending tubular section receiving the lower end of said shaft, and a lower abutment member having a substantially smooth upper face curved complementarily with respect to the lower face of said arch section, said lower abutment being threaded to receive the lower threaded end of said shaft, turning the latter in one direction serving to tighten said abutments and fix the shaft to the head member, and turning the shaft in the other direction serving to loosen said abutments and free the latter for sliding movement along said arch section relative to said head member about said axis of curvature.

HAROLD RUSSELL PUTNAM.

References Cited in the file Of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 26, 1935 

